“But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.”
~ 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 New Living Translation (NLT)
As I’ve said before, Jesus Christ is the beating heart of the Christian faith. His resurrection? Paramount. So what if Jesus never rose from the dead? How do we know that what his disciples said was true, and not just a cleverly concocted tale meant to elevate their status in the fledgling church? Was Jesus God or man?
In order to answer these questions, we must first look at the available evidence as recorded in the Gospel accounts. This will give us a foundation—a point of reference for future observation of the available facts.
So what does that leave us with? Well, we know from the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John that Jesus was arrested by the Jewish authorities, tried in secret—in direct violation of the Jewish Religious Law—before being handed over to Pontius Pilate, who then had him flogged and Crucified. (Under Roman law, only the Provincial Governor could order the execution of an individual. Thus preventing the Jewish leaders from killing Jesus themselves.)
After the trial, the Gospels tell us that Jesus was led to a hill outside the city of Jerusalem known as Golgotha, “The Place of the Skull.” As the name implies, this was a location for public executions. The solders stationed there (also mentioned in the Gospel accounts) were professional executioners. They had crucified hundreds of people, if not thousands. They could tell when someone was dead, and the fact that they killed people by crucifixion only made their job easier.
Death by crucifixion was death by asphyxiation. The outstretched position of the victim's arms expanded the chest cavity so that they could not exhale. In order to breath, the victim would have to pull themselves up, exhale and take another breath before the pain became to much for them to bear. Therefore, if a crucifixion victim stopped moving it meant that they were no longer breathing. This means that Jesus couldn’t have simply “fainted” on the cross.
Additionally, the Bible says that when the guards found that Jesus had died, they decided to make certain he was really dead by stabbing him in the side with a spear. (John 19:31-35) If Jesus wasn’t dead before the spear to the heart, he most certainly was afterwards. Therefore the “Swoon Theory” is completely debunked.
Death by crucifixion was death by asphyxiation. The outstretched position of the victim's arms expanded the chest cavity so that they could not exhale. In order to breath, the victim would have to pull themselves up, exhale and take another breath before the pain became to much for them to bear. Therefore, if a crucifixion victim stopped moving it meant that they were no longer breathing. This means that Jesus couldn’t have simply “fainted” on the cross.
Additionally, the Bible says that when the guards found that Jesus had died, they decided to make certain he was really dead by stabbing him in the side with a spear. (John 19:31-35) If Jesus wasn’t dead before the spear to the heart, he most certainly was afterwards. Therefore the “Swoon Theory” is completely debunked.
Jesus was indisputably dead. That much is clear from the Scriptures. But what of his burial? Is it possible that the disciples could have somehow stolen his body?
Not according the Gospel of Matthew:
Not according the Gospel of Matthew:
“The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. They told him, ‘Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.’
“Pilate replied, ‘Take guards and secure it the best you can.’ So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.”
~ Matthew 27:62-66 New Living Translation (NLT)
The tomb was guarded. It was also sealed—most likely with clay or wax, bearing the seal of either the Roman Governor or the High Priest. If anyone disturbed the Tomb, the Jewish leaders and the Roman authorities would know about it—assuming the perpetrators could somehow overpower the guards, of course.
Another thing I want to mention is that ancient tombs of this type were sealed by rolling a large stone, which could weigh as much as two tons (1,361-1,814 Kilograms) over the entrance. This stone would have been carved from the hillside, uphill from the entrance, and then rolled down into a groove carved in front of the low doorway. Once in place, this stone would have been virtually impossible to move.
Again, this debunks the “Swoon Theory” which states that Jesus simply fainted, and then recovered inside the tomb. No one would have been able to move the stone from the inside. And even if it were possible to do so, no one in Jesus' physical condition could have overpowered the armed guards.
Again, this debunks the “Swoon Theory” which states that Jesus simply fainted, and then recovered inside the tomb. No one would have been able to move the stone from the inside. And even if it were possible to do so, no one in Jesus' physical condition could have overpowered the armed guards.
So we have established two things: Jesus was dead, and the tomb was sealed and guarded.
My third point is that according to the Gospel accounts, the disciples were trying to put as much distance between themselves and Jesus as possible.
Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends, denied him to his face. (Luke 22:59-62)
One un-named disciple ran away naked when someone grabbed his tunic (Mark 14:51-52) and the rest were not far behind.
Furthermore, at the time of the resurrection, the disciples were all hiding behind locked doors. (John 20:19)
Jesus had been crucified as a public warning to anyone who would dare to follow his example. The Apostles and Jesus’ other disciples knew this, and they were terrified. Some of them even fled Jerusalem, deciding that they would have a better chance of survival hiding out in the countryside. (Luke 24:13-35) These men did not want to be associated with Jesus at all, not after what they had seen.
And this is where it starts to get interesting.
Now, it is necessary to point out that in the First Century Jewish culture, women had little to no social standing. They were, for all intents and purposes, property. A man could divorce a woman over anything—burning dinner, for example. A woman however, could not divorce her husband. Women were forbidden from speaking in the Synagogues, and were only allowed to worship God within the Women’s Court of the Temple in Jerusalem. Furthermore, women were also forbidden from speaking to a man in public without permission unless that man was their husband.
A common prayer of the day was, “I thank God that He did not make me a Gentile, a dog, or a woman!”
This was the kind of attitude people had in first century Israel. Women were on the same level, if not lower than the Gentiles. (Anyone who wasn’t a Jew by birth.)
This was the kind of attitude people had in first century Israel. Women were on the same level, if not lower than the Gentiles. (Anyone who wasn’t a Jew by birth.)
Women had little to no standing in society—Greek, Roman, or Jewish. Which is what makes the Gospel accounts of the resurrection so astonishing.
“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.”
~ Luke 24:1-12 New International Version (NIV) [Emphasis added]
Notice the emphasis on the women, and the Apostles’ response to their story. Women discovered Jesus had risen from the dead, and the Apostles didn’t believe them. Women, who had no position in society and who were considered to be unreliable witnesses, were the first ones to see that Jesus had risen! If the Apostles were the ones who made up the story, then why didn’t they elevate their own status by being the first ones to see the empty tomb?
Abraham—the father of the Jewish Nation—was a man. Moses was a man. All of the Prophets were men. John the Baptist was a man. Even Jesus was a man. No matter how you look at it, first century Judea was a very male dominant society. Which I feel is why most of the Apostles didn’t listen to the women in Luke 24:11.
If you were to create a religion in first century Judea, you would have had men—most likely yourself—be the one(s) to discover the empty tomb. Not women.
That was how their society operated. If you went around giving all the credit to women—telling others that they discovered the empty tomb first while you and your friends hid in town—no one would believe you. You would have been a laughingstock!
The prominent role of women in the New Testament is completely counter-cultural for the day.
So, according to the Bible, women discovered the tomb before men. This alone is pretty substantial evidence from a cultural standpoint. But there is more.
Remember the guards stationed at the tomb? Well, something happened to them on the day of the resurrection as well.
“Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.”
~ Matthew 28:1-4 New Living Translation (NLT)
Notice that not only did the guards faint, but an angel came down from heaven and rolled away the stone. The tomb wasn’t open when they got there. Jesus got out while the stone was still in place. The angel opened the tomb to let the women in, not to let Jesus out.
In any case, the guards stationed at the tomb were incapacitated with fear and fainted. We’re talking about a squad of trained, Roman soldiers—somewhere between 30 and 60, maybe even 100 men—all collapsing in fear. Some translations say “... their knees knocked together, and they became as dead men.”
A squad of soldiers from the most disciplined and well-trained army the world had ever seen, collapsed in fear at the tomb of a dead Jewish carpenter. That would have been unheard of—not to mention highly embarrassing for the Roman Garrison. Which partly explains what happens in verse 11 of the same chapter.
“As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened. A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. They told the soldiers, ‘You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ If the governor hears about it, we’ll stand up for you so you won’t get in trouble.’ So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.”
~ Matthew 28:11-15 New Living Translation (NLT)
Interestingly enough, in the Roman army you could be executed for falling asleep at your post. Which makes what the Jewish leaders said to the soldiers in verse 14 seem a bit futile, especially when you consider that Pontius Pilate despised the Jews. (Evidence of this can be found in both the Gospels and the works of contemporary historians like Josephus.)
That being said, it seems very likely that these soldiers were severely punished, if not executed, once word of the resurrection got out.
Despite this, it is clear from their actions that they witnessed something that day. Something they were willing to cover up.
Which leads me to my final point: If the story of the resurrection was made up, then why is it that no one was ever able to produce the body of Jesus?
Remember the tomb was sealed. Anyone could see that it had been opened and that the body was gone. So why couldn’t the Jewish High Council or the Roman government find the body? They obviously had enough money to bribe people. Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for what amounts to about $200 (U.S.) in today's money. If one disciple was willing to betray Jesus for $200 while he was still alive, wouldn’t you think one of the other eleven would be willing to hand over the body for far more? Given the amount of effort the Jewish leaders put into stamping out the early church, I would assume that a person could just about name their price if they knew where to find the body of Christ. Yet no one did. The body was never recovered. It can't be recovered.
Why?
Because Jesus is still using it.
Furthermore, all but one of the Apostles were later executed for their beliefs. Peter was crucified in Rome, Paul was beheaded, and John died in exile. They were tortured, imprisoned and killed. And yet they never once renounced their faith.
That’s the funny thing with Christianity; the more it’s persecuted, the more it spreads.
If the Apostles were lying, wouldn’t you think that at least one of them would have given in at some point? It definitely would have been a lot easier to give them the body, take the money, and retire to Sicily, rather than face certain torture and death.
To me the fact that these men and women were willing to die for what they had seen is one of the strongest proofs of the resurrection. It would have been easy for the disciples to lead the authorities to Jesus’ body if they'd had it. They could have lived like kings on the bribe money. But instead they died as beggars, destitute and broken, far from home. They started off as cowards, fearing for their lives. They died as martyrs, carrying the Gospel message to the ends of the earth.
But you might be thinking: Couldn’t the Jewish leaders have stolen the body? Or maybe they moved it to keep the disciples from stealing it?
Under normal circumstances one might assume that this could be possible. However there are two crucial pieces of counter evidence found in the scriptures that rule out the possibility of Jewish interference.
First of all, the Jewish leaders were the ones who killed Jesus. They knew he said he’d rise from the dead, which is why they had guards posted outside—to keep people from saying that Jesus had risen. They wanted him to stay in the ground. (Matthew 27:63-66)
Secondly, if the Jews were responsible, then all they would have to do to undermine the Christian movement was produce the body. If the body of Jesus were presented to the people, then the church would have died on the spot. As the Apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15: The entire Christian faith hinges on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Debunk the resurrection and you debunk Christianity.
“And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.”
~ 1 Corinthians 15:17-19 New Living Translation (NLT)
Christianity shook the world to its core. The belief that this carpenter from Galilee was God incarnate, that he died for the sins of the world, and that he rose again three days later, liberated thousands and paved the way for social reform as well as cultural and scientific advancement.
In light of the available evidence—the empty tomb, the counter-cultural eyewitness accounts echoed in all four Gospels; the willingness of the Apostles to be persecuted for their beliefs even to the point of death, and the absence of a body—it is my conclusion that Jesus indeed rose from the dead.
There is no other logical explanation for the change we see in the lives of the men and women who saw the events of that Easter Morning two millennia ago. Our entire culture, the sum of western civilization, has been irreversibly influenced by three simple words declaring the one universal truth: Jesus is alive!
*For more insight into the death of Christ, check out my article:
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